Avenger x Reader Oneshots
by KitsuneClouds
Summary: I've started a series of Avengerxreader oneshots. Includes Thor, Loki, Iron Man, Captain America, Bruce Banner and Hawkeye
1. Independence Day

**Avengers x Reader Oneshots**

**Disclaimer:** I do not own _The Avengers_ or any characters within, nor do I own the reader or even the reader-insert story style. I own nothing. Fantastic.

**A/N:** Post-Avengers, pre-Winter Soldier. I've only watched it once and I understand Steve more in Avengers than TWS.

**Independence Day – Steve Rogers**

One thing you had learned early on in your relationship with Steve was that he absolutely loved the Fourth of July – Independence Day. An entire holiday dedicated to celebrating the United States of America.

He hadn't had much time since he had become unfrozen to enjoy America and how it had changed. He had been quite busy being an Avenger and helping his newfound teammates and friends save New York from various aliens and evil masterminds.

So you can imagine that upon your reminder to him that the Fourth of July was only a few days away, he was quite ecstatic. He had gone all out, shopping at every store he could find (with you driving, of course, as cars had changed a lot over the past seventy years), buying up nearly every Independence Day flag, champagne class, centerpiece, and firework in their possessions.

As soon as you pull your car into the driveway of your shared apartment, Steve jumps out and rushed to the back, yanking open the trunk and hastily grasping at the shopping bags, carrying three bags per hand into the apartment. His excitement boosts him so fast that you barely have time to throw your car into "park" before you push the driver's door open and step out, digging your keys out of your pocket in your haste to beat him to the door so you can unlock it. You giggle as he rushes into the house and slowly walk back out to your car to fetch the remaining bags and close and lock the doors.

By the time you make it into the apartment and close the door behind you, he's already pulling every single item out of their plastic bags and organizing them on the table, scattering them here and there, deciding what should go where. You watch him with a soft smile as you drop your keys onto the table beside the front door and kick off your shoes. You let your jacket drop from your shoulders and drape it over the back of the armchair that sits on the edge of your living room. You step closer to the table, offering to help your boyfriend sort the decorations and then hang them, but he insists on doing it all himself. You can see the sparkle in his eyes as they scan all the merchandise that he bought, just like a child scanning the mountain of presents beneath the Christmas tree.

"How about you take all of your toys to the living room and I'll get started on the baking?" you offer, moving to stand beside your man and standing on your toes to kiss his chin. You're not overly short, but his Captain America body makes him over six feet tall, which is too tall for you to reach his face without a little bit of effort.

He turns to you and smiles, leaning down to press a soft kiss to your lips. He nods eagerly, grabbing armfuls of his decorations and carrying them to the living room adjacent to the kitchen. He transports all of his items to the living room floor and lays them out, scattering and organizing just as he had on the kitchen table. You shake your head fondly as he "ooh"s and "awe"s over his toys. You fish your personalized cook book from the cupboard beside the fridge and opened it to the "Cookie" section. You thumb through the pages until you find "Sugar Cookies" and begin fetching the necessary ingredients. You dig out your favorite cookie dough mixing bowl from the cupboard beneath the counter and read off the measurements from your book, pouring the appropriate amount of each ingredient into the bowl. Once the dough is mixed, you maneuver the existing items in the fridge around in order to make room for the large mixing bowl. Sugar Cookie dough has to chill before it could be turned into cookies.

While waiting for that, you flip through the pages of your book to find "Cakes." You find a simple white cake recipe and gather the necessary ingredients, digging out your favorite cake mixing bowl as well. You also fish a couple bottles of food coloring from the baking cupboard before returning to the bowl and mixing the ingredients.

Once the batter is mixed, you fetch a glass baking pan and grease it with butter before pouring the batter into the pan. You snag the spoon from the bowl and stuff it in your mouth, savoring the delicious taste of white cake batter. You then turn your attention to the batter waiting to be baked and grab the food coloring, squeezing droplets of red and blue dye into the white batter. It swirls on its own, mixing into a red, white and blue confection waiting to be cooked. Smiling to yourself, you open the door to the pre-heated oven and shove the pan in, setting the timer and sauntering into the living room to check on your boyfriend.

A rope suspending a dozen miniature American flags is pinned with staples above the front door. Flag-printed pinwheels sit on either side of the TV. Red, white and blue streamers are strung across the room, crisscrossing on the ceiling, pinned to corners of the apartment with staples and thumbtacks. A brand new fleece blanket, blue with red and white stars, is draped gracefully along the back of the suede loveseat, giving the beige couch a splash of color.

"Oh, Steve," you breath in awe. "It looks wonderful!"

Steve smiles and stands, walking over to you with an item in his hand. He kisses your forehead. "I'm glad you like it. It feels good celebrating America again."

You watch as he walks to the kitchen table, placing the item he had been carrying in the center. It's a paperweight wrapped in shiny, starry wrapping paper, with red, white and blue balloons floating up from it.

He walks back to you and wraps his arms around your waist, kissing your nose. You giggle and tilt your head up to capture his lips. "Is that all?"

"Nope," he grins. "There are more decorations for the porch."

"Show me!" you insist, jumping slightly. He chuckles, plucking the final two shopping bags and taking it outside. He reaches into one and produced three short glasses, three bags of marbles, and a handful of miniature flags attached to sticks. He spaces the glasses out upon the porch railing, filling each glass three-quarters full with red, white and blue marbles. He then sticks three flags into each glass. You smile up at him as you watch how much love and care he puts into his decorations.

He reaches into the other bag and pulls out a long rope with dozens of red, white and blue stars attached, similar to the rope with the miniature flags. He sauntered through the opening of the porch, circling around to the front to pin the stars across the banister. From the same shopping bag, he produces thin poles with bunches of red, white and blue tinsel at one end, similar to a cheerleader's pom-poms. He sticks them into various plants and other miscellaneous objects that decorate the porch. You smile as he returns to your side.

"It's perfect," you tell him, wrapping your arms around his waist. He wraps an arm around your back and kisses your nose.

"Almost," he says.

He chuckles at your furrowed eyebrows, reaching his free hand into the last grocery bag, returning with two miniature star-spangled top hats. Each is attached to a string meant to go beneath your jaw. You raise a brow as he removes his hand from your back to set the hat on your head and stretch the string around your face. You snag the other hat from his hand and copy his movements, placing it on his blonde head. He kisses you sweetly, wrapping his arms around your waist while you wrap yours around his neck, pulling each other closer.

An unpleasant but familiar beeping sounds from within the apartment and you pull away with a grin. "The cake is done."

You lace your fingers with his and pull him into the apartment, leading him to the kitchen. Slipping on a pair of oven mitts, you open the oven and retrieve the freshly baked multi-colored cake. You set it on the stove to cool and remove the mitts, heading to the fridge to retrieve the cookie dough. You giggle as his face lights up – you recall him admitting to you that sugar cookies are his favorite, a factoid that you had kept with you for several months.

You fish wax paper out of one drawer and a rolling pin from another, as well as several flavors of frosting and tins of colored sprinkles from the baking cupboard. Placing the equipment and decorations on the table, you lay the cookie dough between two sheets of wax paper and rolling it out.

"Could you get the cookie cutters from on top of the fridge, please?" you request of your boyfriend, turning to shoot him your most innocent eyes and smile. He returns the smile, fetching the large bag of questionably shaped cookie cutters with ease. He hands you the bag, which you set on the table. Once the dough is rolled out on the paper, you open the bag and offer Steve to pick a few shapes. He eagerly digs through the bag, producing a large heart, a large flower, a five-pointed star, and an eight-pointed star. As he begins penetrating the dough with the cutters, you fish through the bag yourself, selecting a bunny, a cat face, and a Captain America shield. He raises a brow at you upon noticing the detailed shield, clearly confused as to when and where you came into possession of it. You giggle.

"Shortly after The Avengers formed, merchandise for you guys started showing up _everywhere_. T-shirts, headphones, posters, you name it. I happened to find Avenger-themed cookie cutters at the store, so I bought some," you explain.

"Do you have the others as well?" he wonders.

You nod and dig through the bag again, retrieving Iron Man's mask, Thor's hammer, Black Widow's symbol, the Hulk's face, Hawkeye's bow, and even Loki's helmet.

"They even have stuff for Loki?" Steve wonders incredulously.

You nod again. "He's not quite as popular, but he's got some followers."

Steve shakes his head and continues cutting the dough. You smile and help, throwing in various Avenger cookie cutters. You sprinkle a few of the cookies with red, white and blue sugar crystals before setting the stray of shapes into the oven, rolling out more dough as the first batch bakes.

Once all of the dough has been shaped and baked, you and Steve decide to relax on the couch while everything cools. You can't very well frost cookies or a cake if it's too hot.

Steve is lying on the couch, his head resting against one arm, eyes closed peacefully. You're lying on his chest, snuggled safely in his arms, your own arms tucked into his sides. You lift your head slightly to press a kiss to his jaw, catching his attention. He smiles and tilts his head down, pressing his lips to yours. You sigh contently before returning your head to his chest, soon falling asleep, listening to his heartbeat.


	2. Merry Christmas

**Merry Christmas – Thor Odinson**

**A/N:** Post-Thor 1 and Avengers, pre-Thor 2. Makes it less complicated.

After Loki had been sent back to Asgard to pay for his crimes, Thor had taken an interest in Midgard and their strange ways. Seeing as you were Tony Stark's little sister, he had gotten to know you here and there during his time with the Avengers. He had taken quite an interest in you, so much so that even though Odin had dubbed him worthy of being King of Asgard, he had given up the throne to stay on Midgard and find you.

January snow covered the streets of New York, blanketing the city of Manhattan in a cold sense of love and festivities. Citizens decorated their houses and yards in bright, colorful ornaments, with Christmas lights stringing around the edge of a house, a large inflatable Santa Claus sitting on the lawn, plastic reindeer and lit-up pine trees fencing the area. Christmas had passed nearly a month ago, but the citizens of New York held onto their decorations and their cheer, needing to gather all the good spirits they could muster after Loki's invasion.

Thor struts down the snowy streets on his way to Stark Tower. You had been invited to stay there with the Avengers – or at least, with Tony, as the Avengers came and went as they were needed, none of them too particularly fond of living with Tony – after Loki's attack on the city. Tony had dubbed your studio apartment unsafe and unguarded, and insisted that you stay with him where you could be protected. You hadn't argued – your apartment was a bit small with all of your prized possessions and extensive hobbies littering every surface you could find. Your room at Stark Tower was easily twice as large as your apartment had been, so you really had no reason to complain about the move.

Normally, Thor would have swung his hammer and used the weather to fly himself to his destination. Unfortunately for him, the snow littering the entire city has a habit of interfering with his weather-related flight patterns, forcing him to walk the slightly-cold streets rather than flying above them. But the extra effort is well worth it if he managed to win your affections.

You sit on your bed in the large space that you now called your bedroom, reading your favorite book. The queen-sized mattress was decorated with (second favorite color) sheets and a (first favorite color) feather comforter, as well as (both favorite colors) feather pillows, making the entire surface plush and comfortable, perfect for curling up with a book. Your pet (favorite animal) is curled at the foot of your bed, sleeping peacefully.

A knock soon snaps you from your book-inspired fantasy, bringing your attention to the door. "Yes?" you called out.

The door creeks open and your brother sticks his head in. "Point Break is here to see you."

Your brows furrow together briefly. "Thor?"

Tony nods. "That's the one."

"Alright," you nod, confused. "Send him in."

Tony removes himself from the doorway, only for Thor to replace him moments later. "Lady (name)."

"Thor," you knowledge with a nod and a soft smile. The blonde steps into your room and closes the door behind him, glancing at your bed with a question mark in his eyes. You nod, giving him permission to sit. He sits in front of your (pet), careful not to disturb it, and faces you.

"Lady (name), I have been attracted to you since you first caught my eye many months ago, when I was first introduced to your brother," Thor begins. He wraps your petite hands in his bulky ones. "After all that your friends and myself have experienced, I cannot help but think of you. I have requested that my father hold onto the throne of Asgard, so that I may live my life here on Midgard, hopefully with you. During all of my time on Asgard, looking after my brother, I have wanted nothing more than to be with you."

You stare up at him as he opens his heart to you. You can hardly believe your ears.

"My lady, would you do me the honor of becoming mine?"

Your eyes widen as much as possible as your jaw drops slightly. No one has ever been so sweet, so sincere, so _passionate_ towards you. All you can do is stare into his icy blue eyes in awe.

"Lady (name)?" he repeats, brows furrowing together in fear that he had gone too far and pushed you away. He moves to leave before you shake your head, keeping him there.

"I would love to be yours, Thor," you whisper honestly. He grins, removing one hand from yours to rest it on the back of your head and pull you closer. His warm lips crash against yours as his free hand wraps around your back. You close your eyes and wrap your arms around his neck, sighing contently.

It's been nearly a year since that wonderful day. Your anniversary was only a month away, but before that you would get to introduce Thor to Christmas. Christmas was your favorite holiday, and Thor was generally excited about every Midgardian tradition and celebration that you taught him. He had greatly enjoyed Valentine's Day, he had been delightfully confused regarding St. Patrick's Day his inner child had come out during Easter, he was sickeningly sweet upon learning of Mother's Day and Father's Day, the Fourth of July had reminded him of the Captain, Halloween had confused him as well, and he had devoured nearly all of the Thanksgiving food.

You can hardly wait to introduce him to Christmas.

The first step is to take him shopping. You have very limited Christmas decorations of your own, having not had much space in your apartment, and you certainly don't want to borrow Tony's. So the only option left is for you to borrow one of your brother's _many_ cars and take your Asgardian boyfriend Christmas shopping.

You have become the designated driver, as Thor's superhuman strength had broken the steering wheel of your last car and he had pressed the pedals so hard they pressed right through the floor. You don't mind – you enjoyed driving through Manhattan, taking in the scenery. Most of the citizens are as devoted to the holidays as you are, decorating their homes and lawns, and various community workers decorate the public parks and fountains and statues.

You decide to explain Christmas to your boyfriend as you drive to the store. "Christmas is about family, first and foremost," you say, keeping your eyes on the road ahead. "There are gifts and lights and crazy traditions, but the sentiment is bringing families together to enjoy a meal and exchange gifts and just be happy together."

Thor nods, understanding so far. "What are these 'crazy traditions'?"

"Well, there's decorating a Christmas tree," you reply.

"You decorate trees?" Thor questions, confusion spreading across his face. You giggle.

"I'm not sure how that started, but yes. We either cut down a tree from our own yards, or we buy one from a tree lot, or we get a fake tree from the store," you say.

"What do you decorate it with?"

"Lights, ornaments, popcorn-"

"Why would you put popcorn on a tree?"

Thor's honest confusion and horror causes you to laugh outright. "I don't even know, love. It's just one of the traditions. People string popcorn and wrap it around the tree."

"Sounds like a waste of a tasty Midgardian snack…" Thor pouts, clearly not fond of the thought of putting food on a tree.

"We don't have to," you explain. "Not every person follows every Christmas tradition. Most people also put a star on the top, too, but you can put whatever you want on it."

"A star sounds nice," Thor muses.

You smile, knowing how excited he is to learn of another holiday. You know he'll love this one in particular, with the lights and the gifts and the food. And, of course, cheesy Christmas cartoons.

"In addition to a Christmas feast-"

You're cut off as Thor's face lights up. He's always ready for food.

"Yes, another feast," you giggle. "We also bake cookies and watch cartoons-"

"What do cartoons have to do with Chris-a-what-now?" Thor wonders.

"Christmas, love," you correct. "There are Christmas cartoons. Cartoons about Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer, Santa Claus, Frosty the Snowman…"

"What's the story behind this Sandy Claws?" Thor questions.

"Santa Claus," you correct gently. "He's the fat guy in the red suit we've been seeing everywhere. He's the symbol of Christmas, like the Easter Bunny or St. Patrick's Day leprechauns. The story is that he has dozens of elves who make toys for children and he goes to every house in the world on Christmas Eve and delivers toys to all of the children that behaved during the year."

"What about the children that don't behave?"

"Supposedly they only get coal, no presents, but I don't know of any parents that actually stick to that."

"Parents?" Thor questions. "You just said that Santa delivers the presents."

You bite your lip, mentally cursing yourself for ruining it for him. "He does, sweetie, but the parents of the naughty children usually feel bad, so they get presents for them anyway to make it up."

Thor nods in understanding, completely oblivious to how you just lied through your teeth.

You pull into the parking lot of the first store, putting the car into "park" and shutting off the engine. You smile at Thor and open your door to step out of the car, waiting for him to get out before locking the doors. You lead him into the store and immediately head to the seasonal aisles, located to the left of where you entered. His face lights up in awe as he takes in the lights and ornaments and inflatable characters. He chuckles at the illuminated faux table-top trees, chuckling more at the animatronic snowmen and reindeer that singing Christmas songs and twitchily dance.

You wander to the selection of lights suspended from cords, meant to be wrapped around the Christmas tree and the inside of your room. You gaze at the most colorful packages, selecting a set of red and green lights for room and a multi-colored set to add to the tree. You know Tony will have a party and a tree and hundreds of dollars in decorations, but as it's your first Christmas with Thor, you want it to be intimate and sweet.

You wander back to Thor, who is still watching the electronic animals and trees, lighting up and singing. You smile at him, watching for any sign of him having a favorite. He seems genuinely thrilled by every object, unable to choose between them.

You gently tap his shoulder. "I've got the lights, love. I figured we'll just hang out in my room, unless you want to go to my brother's party."

Thor stands and smiles at you. "I have attended many parties hosted by the Man of Iron. I would very much enjoy a celebration alone with you."

You smile up at him. "Wonderful. Pick a miniature tree for my room, then. Then we can get some ornaments."

Thor looks at the plain trees, sitting innocently on the shelf, not moving or singing or lighting up. He looks back to the electronic trees, drawn into their music and movement. He glances at the lights you've gathered, deciding that a plain tree would be best for decorating. He selects a three-foot tall tree, simple in design, sitting in a plastic flower pot. He brings it to his face, inspecting it, and notices its pine tree scent. He turns to you and smiles brightly. "How's this one?"

"It's perfect," you tell him. "It should fit perfectly on my desk."

You then lead him to the next aisle over, watching happily as he stares in amazement at the colorful ornaments decorating the shelves. He reaches out and grasps one case containing six miniature orbs in six solid colors with white, sparkly designs. He looks at you for approval, grinning when you nod.

"Those are the perfect size for our tree," you tell him.

He smiles. "You should choose the star for the top."

"Are you sure?" you question. "I really don't mind letting you choose. It's your first Christmas, after all."

"How about we choose together?"

You smile and nod, eyes scanning the selection of stars and tree-toppers. Your eyes fall upon a bright silver five-pointed star, dusted with glitter, shining in the bright lights of the store. You reach for it, completely ignoring the dozens of stars surrounding it.

"It's beautiful," Thor notes, nodding in approval.

"It is," you agree.

"Nowhere near as beautiful as you," he adds, kissing your temple. You blush brightly, leading him to the check-out lane to purchase your decorations.

After celebrating Valentine's Day and your birthdays, Thor understood the idea of gift-giving between friends, family and lovers. Shortly after the two of you decorated your bedroom, he convinced Tony to take him gift shopping, which worked out because Tony had yet to buy you a gift, and the two of you had formed a silent pact to always gift each other, in case one or both of you were ever alone save for each other.

You found the perfect gift for Thor about a month prior to your shopping trip, careful to hide it where your boyfriend would never think to look – under the bed.

Christmas finally rolled around, and Thor bounced on your bed like an excited five-year-old. You were planning to join Tony and the Avengers for the feast, so you had watched several Christmas cartoons with just each other and were just getting to the gift exchange.

"Alright, love," you said with a giggle, reaching under the bed to fetch the neatly wrapped present. "Here you go."

Thor ripped open the patterned paper like a hungry wolf, pausing as the present inside was revealed. It's a small framed photo of you and Thor on your birthday, when he let you wear his helmet and he wore your favorite scarf. You were both laughing as his helmet slid down past your eyes, blocking your vision, stopping on your nose bridge.

"Just in case you have to go back to Asgard and be separated from me for a while," you explain, watching his grin widen. "You'll have something to keep there to remember me."

He leans forward, pressing his lips to yours and resting a hand on the back of your head. "I shall fall to sleep each night gazing upon your beautiful face."

You giggle. "You can't even see my face, love. Your helmet's in the way."

He laughs and produces his gift for you from behind your back. "Open yours."

You tear the paper excitedly, breathing a breath of awe upon seeing your gift. It was a necklace – a miniature Mjolnir suspended from a thin, silver chain.

"For when I am away in Asgard," he smiles. "For you to remember me."

"It's beautiful, Thor," you tell him breathlessly. You turn around and lift your hair as he grasps the necklace and wraps it around your neck. He closes the clasp before you tackle him, knocking him onto his back on the bed. You know he fell back intentionally – there's no way you're strong enough to knock him over on your own. He's only twice as big as you are.

"I love you so much," you tell him, resting on his chest. He runs a hand through your hair, causing you to lean into his hand.

"I love you too, (name)," he replies, pressing his lips to yours.

You smile up at him. "Merry Christmas, my love."

He returns the smile. "Merry Christmas."


	3. Long, Cold, Lonely Nights

**Long, Cold, Lonely Nights – Loki Laufeyson**

**A/N:** Post-Thor and Avengers, pre-Thor 2, so Loki is still a "bad guy."

You awake around eleven in the morning, definitely before noon, but not as early as you would waken if you were in a happier mindset.

Truth be told, you've been rather depressed, lazily moving through the day, keeping to yourself and your misery. Thor calls you every now and again, trying to lift your spirits, but knowing that he was part of the event that caused your misery makes it hard for you to hold a conversation with him without bursting into tears or cursing him out.

Six months. It's been six months since Loki, the love of your life, was escorted back to Asgard, his hands in shackles and his jaw bound by a horrible metal muzzle. Six months since you had even seen his face or heard his voice, much less been in his arms. Six months without a tiny scrap of communication, nothing to tell you that he's alive and well, or even if he's dead. Nothing at all.

So you keep to yourself. You're not filthy or gross – you shower regularly and wear fresh clothes, keep up with the chores and the dishes, cook yourself healthy meals (except for those moments where you wallow in self-pity and require as much sugar as your budget will allow). You just aren't in a happy mood on a regular basis, and you don't speak to many people due to your current depression.

You pull yourself out of bed and stretch your arms above your head, arching your back. You pull open the doors of your closet and scan your eyes across your wardrobe, selecting a tight (favorite color) tank top with (favorite pattern) lounge pants. You then turn to your dresser and pull out your favorite bra and pantie set. The bathroom sits across the hall from your bedroom, and you saunter over and close the door behind you. You set your clothes on the counter and turn on the water, letting it heat up before flipping the switch to turn on the shower. You get in as soon as it's hot, letting the steaming water warm you and your sadness. You let out a long sigh, simply standing under the waterfall, enjoying its comfort.

You soon exit your self-induced sauna and wipe the steam off of the mirror. For a second, you swear you saw your lost love behind you and let out a gasp. Turning around, your heart falls as you realize it was only his favorite gold and green towel hanging upon the rack. You sigh and turn back to the mirror, drying yourself off and dressing in your favorite comfortable clothes. You drop your previous clothes in the laundry hamper on your bedroom before making your way to your small but comfortable kitchen to fix yourself some breakfast.

Feeling a sweet craving, you dig out your cook book and thumb through the pages until you find the pancake recipe. Offering yourself a contented sigh at making your favorite breakfast, you fetch the necessary ingredients and a large mixing bowl and begin the process. Once the batter is mixed, you fish a frying pan from the drawer beneath the stove and heat it up, awaiting the pancake mix.

Fifteen minutes later, you've cooked all the batter and have set the dirty dishes in the sink to be washed later. You set two pancakes on a plate and drown them in (favorite topping). You pour yourself a glass of milk and carry that and your pancakes to the adjoining living room. You set your breakfast on the small wooden coffee table and grab the remote, switching on the TV. Your favorite show is currently playing, so you leave it on that channel and dig into your breakfast. You're still hungry after the two pancakes, so you plate and decorate two more, bringing them back out to your living room.

By the time your show is over, you're contentedly full and set your dishes in the sink. You don't particularly feel like doing more chores at the moment – the rest of the apartment is spotless. The only speck of dirt is the dishes in the sink. So you figure that you've done enough work and that the few dishes you've used can wait.

You return to your bedroom and retrieve your laptop from its protective bag, opening the lid and pressing the power button. You wait for it to boot up, settling yourself in amongst your blankets. You decide to continue the story you had begun writing several months ago; the fantasy story you based on real-life events involving the Avengers and Loki. Only, in your story, Loki is the hero. Americus is a yellow horse that sees the good in all living creatures and tried to make peace. Star is the hot-tempered lion who tries to lead the other creatures and make them follow him. Bryce is the smart, peaceful raccoon that tries to stay out of trouble. Bart is a hawk who flies far above the trees, trying to plan his team's best attack against the fire-breathing dragon that misunderstands the good creatures in the world and wreaks havoc on the innocent without a second thought. Tash is a spider who uses her extra legs to kick several butts at once. Mjor (1) is a golden wolf, eager to help his teammates. And poor Loptr is a snake who once worked alongside the dragon but has seen the error of his ways and wishes to join the other creatures in fighting the dragon, but they do not trust him and therefore will not accept him.

You become lost in your story, soon falling back to sleep with your laptop sitting brightly on your bed. You push it to the side as you fall back against the bed, not kicking it off of the bed, but kicking it away from you. One arm rests above your head while the other is stretched out on the bed, as though reaching for something. One knee is bent comfortably while the other is nearly straight beside it.

Due to your slumber, you're unaware of the sudden presence in your bedroom. There's been no sound of a door opening and closing, because your current guest rarely uses the door.

The foot of the bed dips under the intruder's weight as his emerald eyes scan your laptop screen. He chuckles lightly to himself as he reads your story, touched by how you see him. Only you could possibly see such good in someone like him.

He closes the laptop and sets it on the floor so that it won't fall, then sheds his metal armor and leather coat, stripping down before raiding your closet in search of the extra clothes he always leaves with you. He finds his favorite green wife beater tank top and black pajama pants and pulls them on before lifting the blanket and crawling into bed beside you. His arms wrap around you and out of instinct you curl into him, subconsciously seeking the warmth and comfort that his presence offers. He kisses your forehead before he settles into a light sleep.

You awake some hours later, questionably comfortable. You can't recall your bed being so warm and inviting without someone in it – there had to be someone in your bed! You jump up, removing your arms from the unknown figure and searching for a weapon before your eyes fall upon his sleeping form. Your eyes soften before widening again and a grin spreads across your lips. You launch at him, nuzzling his chest and wrapping your arms around him, kissing his jaw and neck until he wakes. He chuckles at your enthusiasm, tilting his head down to capture your lips with his own. His arms wrap around your back as he smiles at you.

"Loki," you breathe happily. "I can't believe you're back!" You nuzzle your nose into his neck, breathing in his scent and making a point that he is not allowed to move again, ever.

"It took a while to serve my sentence for trying to rule Midgard, but as soon as I finished I used all the magic I could to teleport back to you," he explains, running his fingers through your hair.

"Any particular reason why you didn't try coming back sooner?" you wonder quietly.

He presses a kiss to your forehead. "If I had, both S.H.I.E.L.D. and Odin would have come searching for me, and I couldn't return to you only for them to take me away again. I couldn't do that to you."

You smile up at him, touched by his concern for you. "I missed you so much."

"I missed you, too, (name)," he replied, pulling you closer. "I swear on my life that I shall never leave you again."

You nod and bury yourself in his arms and chest, taking in his scent and his warmth and all that is Loki. He's never allowed to leave again, and he knows it.

(1) Pronounced like Mjolnir, without the "lni."


	4. Fairy Tale Baby

**Fairy Tale Baby – Clint Barton**

**A/N:** I guess it doesn't really matter when it's set, cuz Hawkeye was only in _Thor_ and _The Avengers_… well, let's do post-_Avengers_, like everything else.

You storm away from your boyfriend, angry tears prickling behind your eyes. Your jaw is tight and your fists are clenched as you slam the door to the bedroom of your shared apartment and lock your boyfriend out of it. You throw yourself on the bed and allow yourself to shed a few wounded tears, burying your face in the crook of your arm as you lay on your stomach.

You roll onto your back, absent-mindedly resting a hand on your belly. You recently discovered that there was a baby growing in there, the product of the deep, passionate love shared between you and your boyfriend, Clint Barton. You were ecstatic upon hearing the news, and of course assumed that your lover would be, too.

Clint disappointed you more deeply than you could ever imagine. You know he loves you, deep down, but his reaction to you informing him that you're going to have a baby was way below encouraging. He simply stared at you, wide-eyed, as though you had told him that you were leaving him, or something equally tragic – certainly not the warm, happy, excited reaction that you had.

So you lie in your shared bed, fresh tears streaming down your face, dripping into your hair and down your ears as you lift an arm to wipe them away. Did he not love you? Was he not happy that you were carrying his baby? Did he not want to have children with you?

Sure, work is hard for both of you. He's an agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. and you're an aspiring actress, which means that both of you will have to spend lots of time away from home and each other, and once you start to show you won't be getting as many movie roles, which will bring down your income, but you always thought that if this situation ever arose, you'd both make it work.

_Well,_ you thought sadly, grasping a tissue from the box on the bedside table and wiping your nose. _I guess it's up to me._ You run your hand over your belly again, silently promising your unborn child that you'll love him or her twice as much to make up for Daddy's lack of enthusiasm.

Tony's organized yet another party, full of booze and girls and mixing the two, and of course, The Avengers. You had initially declined the invitation, thinking you'd rather stay home with some hot herbal tea and read fairy tales to your womb than go to Stark Tower to face the blaring music and the boyfriend that you've been ignoring. He's been spending more time at Stark Tower, since you refuse to speak to him and leave the room as soon as he enters.

But you figure that a night out might be good for you, maybe get your mind off of Clint's less-than-satisfactory response and actually have some fun. You've got a bit part in a few episodes of a new television series coming up, but nothing lined up after that, and before too long you'll be too big to do much acting or partying. So you decide to attend Stark's party and enjoy your time before all of your focus goes to your baby.

You're only a couple of weeks along, so the only signs of pregnancy that others might pick up on is your decline of alcohol (not that you drink very much anyway), your growing, changing appetite, and your wonderfully unstable mood swings.

You realize that you have about half an hour before you told yourself that you should leave for the party, so you pad back to your bedroom and open the closet, looking at all of your party dresses. All of them will still fit you perfectly, as your belly is about as flat as it was two weeks ago. You select a (f/c) strapless dress that stops about mid-thigh and hugs your curves as well as your chest. The fabric appears to wrap around your body like a sheet, with rhinestones adorning the hem and tiny fabric roses decorating the neckline. You then move to the bathroom and pull out your favorite makeup and hair accessories, running a brush through your (hair type) (h/c) locks before pinning your hair up in a messy but cute bun, a few strands hanging down by your ears, outlining your face. You line your eyes with (f/c) liner and brush some mascara onto your lashes. You line your lips with your favorite plumping gloss and smile at your reflection before exiting the room. You pluck your purse from its position on the floor, ensuring that your car keys and cell phone are included. You slip on a pair of (f/c) pumps with ankle straps before leaving your apartment and locking the door behind you. You make your way out to your car and take your time driving to Stark Tower.

Once there, you get out of and lock your car, taking your purse with you into the tower. You smile as Jarvis greets you and buzzes you in. You ride the elevator in near silence taking a breath as the doors slide open and you realize how many people are already here, even though the party has only been going for half an hour. You step out of the elevator, looking around to see if Hawkeye was in sight. You weave through the sea of people in search of the bar. You're dying for a (fave non-alcoholic drink).

You squeeze through the people and jump onto a bar stool, setting your purse beneath your feet. Tony smirks at you as he appears on the business side of the bar.

"What can I getcha, babe?" he asks.

You order your drink, ignoring the raise of his brow as he realizes that your order is non-alcoholic.

"No booze?" he questions, feigning hurt.

"No booze," you agree, nodding your thanks as he hands you your drink.

"Why no booze?" he inquires.

"I just don't want booze tonight," you insist, taking a sip of your drink.

"(Name)!" a loud, masculine voice hollers. You turn your head in the direction of the sound and grin as Thor runs over to you, his bulky arms outstretched, ready for a hug. You stand from your stool and hold your own arms out, laughing as he picks you up and twirls you. You haven't been spending as much time around the rest of the Avengers as you usually do, between trying to find acting gigs and moping about your boyfriend's reaction and trying to reorganize your life around your future baby.

Thor sets you down gently, almost as though he knows. "I have missed you, Lady (name)."

"I've missed you too, Thor," you tell him sincerely. You and Thor had become quite good friends after you and Hawkeye got together.

"How are things between you and the Hawk?" Thor inquires. "He has not been himself as of late."

You unknowingly hold your breath as Tony and Thor stare at you, awaiting an answer.

"He's right," Tony adds. "Bird Boy has been kinda off for the past couple of weeks. Almost depressed."

You bite back a snort of irony. Him, depressed? You were the pregnant one, the one he practically abandoned. "We're just… in a fight…"

"A fight over what? Thor wonders, genuinely concerned. You can't help but smile as his blonde brows furrow together in worry. He's always so caring of his teammates.

"It's nothing," you lie. "It'll blow over in time."

Tony eyes you suspiciously while Thor's bright smile slowly returns. As you return to your seat and sip your drink, Steve makes his way through the crowd to greet you. "Hello, (name)."

"Hey, Steve," you smile.

"Are things alright with you and Clint? He seems very upset," Steve inquires.

You sigh, lowering your gaze to the ground.

"Oh, I'm sorry," the Captain apologizes. "I didn't mean to pry."

"No, it's alright," you insist. "It's just that Thor and Tony just asked me the same thing."

Steve nods understandingly, not pressing the question any further. You turn your gaze to the crowd, watching as dozens of people you've never seen mingle and dance, some with drinks in their hands. Your eyes scan a plush leather couch near the corner of the room where Clint is sitting with Natasha. Clint does appear upset, you notice, and Natasha appears to be attempting to comfort him. He lifts his gaze and meets your eye, and you quickly turn away and go back to your drink.

Tony watches as you obviously avoid your boyfriend, wondering what could possibly be the problem. He rests his forearms on the bar and leans across, his face inches from yours. He lowers his voice and whispers, "Did he cheat on you?"

Your eyes widen at the absurd idea and bark out a laugh. "No, of course not."

"Did he make fun of your acting?"

"Why would he do that?"

"Did he build a bird nest without telling you?"

"What?"

"Tell me what happened!" Tony cries desperately.

"Don't worry about it!" you cry back.

Thor, Steve, Clint and Natasha have all turned their attention to you and Tony. You rest your elbow on the bar and your forehead in your palm.

"Is there anything I can do to help?" Steve asks softly, resting a hand on your shoulder.

"Can I be of assistance?" Thor questions, standing on your other side.

"I could use something to eat," you muse.

"What would you like?" Steve questions.

"Something covered in chocolate," you decide.

"Anything in specific?" Thor asks.

You think for a minute. "Cucumbers."

"Cucumbers… covered in chocolate?" Tony questions.

"That sounds amazing…" you nod.

Tony eyes you suspiciously as Steve raids the fridge and cupboards in search of your request. Tony watches you, taking in your determination to not tell him why you're not talking to Clint, your strange food craving, and the fact that you insisted on a non-alcoholic beverage. He thinks back to his conversations with Pepper when she was trying to help him understand women. His eyes widen and he grins at you.

"You're pregnant!" he whisper-yells.

Your eyes widen in return. "What makes you say that?"

"You won't drink booze, you won't tell me what happened with you and Bird Boy, you're craving chocolate-covered cucumbers, and now you're panicking. You. Are. Pregnant," he declares with a nod.

Thor stares at you. "That is most wonderful news, Lady (name)!"

You bite your own lip. "Keep it down!"

"Does Clint know?" Steve asks, returning to the bar with your snack.

Your eyes cast down to the bar. "Yes…"

"Then what's the problem?" the Captain questions.

"Nothing…" you mumble.

"Please confide in us, Lady (name)," Thor pleads quietly.

You sigh, turning your head to find Clint and Natasha staring at you, wondering what your conversation was about. You turned back to the guys. "He… He wasn't happy…" you whisper.

"How do you mean?" Thor asks, confused.

You rise from the bar and grab your purse from the floor, gesturing for the boys to follow you. With one last glance towards Clint and Natasha, you lead the boys to the closest bedroom which happens to be Tony's.

"Why are we in here?" Steve asks.

"Privacy," you explain, sitting on Tony's bed. You sigh as they all sit around you. "I told Clint that I'm pregnant and… he just stared at me. He looked at me like I told him I was leaving him or something, and he didn't even say anything!" You stare down at your lap, hand resting on your belly. "It was like he didn't want me to be pregnant…"

"I'm sure Clint's happy about it," Steve insists, resting a hand on your knee.

"The Hawk has deep feelings for you," Thor adds.

"Bird Boy loves you, babe," Tony says, resting a hand on your back. "He was probably just shocked. I'd be stunned too if Pepper gave me news like that. He's just not ready to be a daddy, or he thinks he isn't."

"It's gonna be hard for you two, with Clint being an agent," Steve reminds you.

"Do you really think he's happy?" you mumble. The three nod their heads and offer you comforting hugs before leaving the room. You follow them only to run into Clint. You bite your lip as you look at him, unsure of what to say.

"Can we talk?" he asks, sounding hurt.

You nod and lead him away from the crowd. You find a sitting area with a few chairs and no party-goers and take a seat.

"I'm so sorry, (name)," he begins. "I'm sorry I didn't say anything. I was just scared. I'm not ready to be a father. My job doesn't give me enough time off to be a good father."

"You think I'm not scared?" you challenge. "I'm terrified. I'm barely an actress as it is and once I start showing no one will hire me. I'll have no money coming in. And I'm scared of your job being in the way, that you won't be able to spend a lot of time with our baby. But I love this baby, and I love what it symbolizes."

Clint stands in front of you, extending his arms to you. You reluctantly accept his hands and stand, looking up at him.

"I love you, (name)," he says sincerely, resting his forehead on yours. "And I love this baby. I was just stunned. I didn't expect you to get pregnant so soon; I was concerned that I wouldn't be able to support us, and that my job would keep me away."

You look at the floor, embarrassed. "It sounded like you didn't want me to be pregnant. I thought you were upset with me… Like you didn't want to be with me anymore…"

He wraps his arms around you, pulling you to his chest. He rests his cheek on the top of your head. "Please, don't ever think that. I love you, more than anything. I am honestly excited that you're having my baby. I always want to be with you."

You look up at him, tears prickling the corners of your eyes. He lifts a hand to cup your cheek, his thumb brushing away the unshed tears. He presses a kiss to your lips which you eagerly return.

"I love you, (name)."

"I love you too, Clint."

He smiles and kisses your forehead. "Does this mean I can come back to the apartment?"

You giggle. "Please do. It's lonely there without you. I think the baby knows you're not around."

"Well I'll have to stick around then," he promises, wrapping his hand around yours and lacing your fingers together. You squeeze his hand gently, causing him to smile.

"Let's go home," you say softly. He leans down and pecks your lips before nodding.

"Let's go home."

Once back at the apartment, you drop your purse on the floor and collapse on the couch. Clint sits beside you and kisses your cheek, wrapping his arms around you. You curl into his arms, resting your head on his chest. As you sigh contently, Clint's gaze wanders to the coffee table and his brow rises as he notices the book of fairy tales you'd left there.

"What's that?" he inquires. You follow his gaze and smile.

"Fairy tales. I was reading to the baby."

"Reading to the baby? Isn't the baby super tiny right now?"

You giggle. "It is, but I read online that reading to the baby no matter how early in the pregnancy is good for you. The baby can hear you eventually while it's still in the womb, so it's good for you to communicate."

He chuckles and kisses your nose. "You're adorable, you know that?"

You smile, stretching up to capture his lips. You soon fall asleep, your head resting on his chest and his arms wrapped securely around you.


	5. Enormous Green Rage Monster

**Enormous, Green Rage Monster**

**A/N:** Post/during-_Avengers_. But I won't rewrite existing scenes and modify them to fit the story. You know what happened in the movie. Use your imagination.

It's been about six months since you joined S.H.I.E.L.D. and you've loved it so far. The dangerous adrenaline rush you get from going on a mission to stop a crazy villain thrills you, and you always come back for more. It gets a bit frightening at times, taking down bad guys and risking your life to save the good guys, but the reward of a job well done and a little bit more peace in the world at the end of the day is well worth the risk.

In your six months of being on the team, you've become great friends with Phil Coulson and Maria Hill. Director Fury still terrifies you on most occasions, but you've learned that as long as you follow his orders, he's relatively nice.

You've heard the other agents as well as Director Fury discuss the Avengers Initiative, but no one will tell you much other than that it's just an idea in case the world is under attack. This disturbs you, because you're part of the team and feel that you deserve to know if the company you work for is planning some huge get-together with Earth's mightiest heroes. But alas, the most information you get is from Phil, who is under orders from Fury not to discuss it further.

But soon enough, your wish comes true. Not the way you wished it, of course, but the main point of your wish comes true. S.H.I.E.L.D. has received reports of an inhuman threat, and now their only hope is recruiting the Avengers. You finally get to find out the details about the Initiative and learn who the recruits are. Your attention is stolen when you find the files on Dr. Bruce Banner. You've read every science blog he's ever written and, being an ex-science major yourself, he's become a kind of celebrity crush for you.

Since you're new, Fury has decided to keep you behind while he sends his other agents to recruit the Avengers. You pouted upon hearing the news but agreed to stay on the Helicarrier like a good agent.

You sigh to yourself as you wait, utterly bored. You've taken to re-reading the Avenger recruit files over and over, inadvertently memorizing them from the constant reading. You're mostly attracted to Bruce's file, nibbling your lip as you think about actually meeting him. You teach yourself to play it cool, as though he's just a comrade.

Your head perks up as you hear voices and footsteps returning to the Helicarrier. You stand and smooth out your suit, brushing stray strands of hair from your face and tucking them behind your ears. You walk to the entrance of the Helicarrier and greet Director Fury as well as his guests.

"This is our newest agent, (f/n)(l/n)," Fury introduces.

"Pleased to meet you," you greet with a smile. Fury leads the new team inside with Phil and Maria in tow. You stand aside and watch them walk by, trying your hardest not to stare at Bruce. _Dr. Banner_, you scold yourself mentally. _You haven't even officially met him. You have to think of him as Dr. Banner!_

You follow your current and new colleagues inside and await Fury's orders. He gathers everyone around a large table, though Maria and Phil choose to stand to the side. You stand with them, unsure of what to do with yourself as you've never been in this situation before.

Fury begins explaining the Avengers Initiative and the alien threat that caused Fury to recruit them. The large blonde man, Thor (you remember him from the fiasco in New Mexico. You hadn't been recruited to help, but you watched the news for days to keep up with Phil) seems very offended at how Fury speaks of this alien intruder. You watch him, confused, wondering what ties he has. All you know about Thor is what you saw on the news, which only tells you that he's from another world and that he's extremely powerful with that hammer of his.

"Loki is beyond reason," Thor says, "but he is my brother."

Your eyes widen slightly. You hadn't been informed of that. You'd seen very little about Loki on TV – S.H.I.E.L.D. likes to keep it all hush-hush.

You continue watching as the Avengers and Fury discuss the threat and what to do about it. You smile as you watch Phil stare at Captain America, as though he were a high school girl staring at her crush. It made you giggle on the inside, but you kept a professional façade. Maria stood silently, arms crossed, watching her colleagues.

Fury eventually gives everyone an assignment like a school teacher with a class project. The group breaks up, going their separate ways.

"Agent (l/n)," Fury addresses you.

"Yes, sir?" you reply.

"I want you to work with Dr. Banner on detecting the Tessaract. Your scientific background should be of help to us," Fury explains. You nod, accepting your assignment professionally.

"Yes, sir."

You approach Dr. Banner's lab and choose to knock politely on the door frame, though the door is wide open.

"Come in," Bruce calls gently. You slowly step in, looking about the room, taking in all of Bruce's gadgets and equipment.

"Anything I can help you with?" Bruce asks, noticing your wandering eye.

"I should be asking you that," you say. "Fury ordered me to help you with locating the Tessaract.

"Do you have any knowledge of science?" Bruce asks, his eyes scanning the screen before him.

"I graduated from (college) before I joined S.H.I.E.L.D.," you explain.

"How'd you go from a science major to an agent?" Bruce questions.

You laugh nervously, glancing at the floor. "Shortly before my graduation, there was a mishap in my chemistry class. My ingredients got mixed up and exploded and I almost burned down the entire hall."

Bruce laughs a friendly, non-judgmental laugh. "So why'd you join S.H.I.E.L.D.?"

"They found me," you explain, moving to stand beside the doctor. When he doesn't move away, you continue. "Shortly after my graduation, I inadvertently got mixed up with some criminal that they were after. They saw that I could hold my own in a fight and asked about my background. They thought my scientific knowledge might be of use in future cases and offered me to join. I had nothing else since I hadn't chosen a career path yet, so I accepted."

"You're a science major with no career path?" Bruce questions.

You shrug. "I've always loved science; I just wasn't sure what I wanted to do with that love."

Bruce smiles at you and directs your attention to the screen he's viewing. He points to the glowing blue cube in the center. "That's the Tessaract."

"It looks much cooler than Fury described," you note in awe. It's a glowing blue cube. Who wouldn't want to steal it?!

Hours pass without notice as you and Bruce work together to locate the Tessaract. You've been laughing and joking for most of that time, easing into a beautiful new friendship and growing steadily more comfortable with one another. By the time you two were done and decided to call it a night, it was somewhere around two A.M.

"I suppose I should head to bed," you say, offering Bruce a shy smile and turning towards the door.

"I should, too," he agrees. "We're gonna need our energy to take Loki on."

You nod as Bruce walks closer to you. He stands in front of you and smiles, pressing a kiss to your cheek. "Goodnight, (f/n)."

A blush claims your cheeks as you smile back. "Goodnight, Bruce."

By the time the Avengers have to suit up and prepare to take Loki down, you and Bruce became very close friends. You talk about pretty much everything and you've spent nearly every second together, in and out of the lab.

You're scared of the upcoming fight, but you know that your job is to stay on the Helicarrier with Agent Hill and keep an eye on the team from the inside.

You're on one of the lower decks with Natasha Romanoff and Bruce when something crashes into the Helicarrier, knocking everything around, including the three of you. You all fall to the ground, and as you push yourself up and ask Bruce if he's alright, you notice a green tint to parts of his skin. Your eyes widen as you realize that he's beginning to Hulk out, and that you've never experienced it. You've heard the stories, but you've never even seen photos of his Hulk form.

You scramble to stand, hoping to calm him down. "Bruce!" you call to him, causing him to turn his angry gaze to your rather tiny figure. You turn your head to find Natasha, noticing that her leg is caught under a pole. You run to her, trying to free her foot. As you push and shove against the pole, trying to pull the Black Widow from her trap, Bruce completely transforms and the Hulk roars loudly, making you jump. You turn back to face him, unable to stop the fear creeping across your face. The Hulk is quite terrifying. You know that Bruce is in there, but he's so far away. As you stare up at him in fear, you swear you see remorse flash in his eyes, as though Bruce is in there, not wanting to hurt you.

Hulk roars again and storms away, looking for something to destroy. You can hear him rumbling with Thor as you finally help Natasha break free. Natasha goes outside to join the fight while you make your way back to the upper decks to watch the screens with Maria. She's deeply mourning Phil's death, but she keeps a professional attitude as she watches her surroundings. You offer her comfort and try to console her, keeping an eye on the battle that your team seems to be losing.

When all is said and done and the battle has finally been won in your favor, Loki and Thor return to Asgard and the other Avengers go their separate ways. You're outside to wish them farewell, Bruce being the one to leave last as he wants to speak with you.

"So, (f/n)… I'm sorry if the Other Guy scared you," he says awkwardly.

"It's fine, really," you insist. "I just wasn't prepared. I've heard the stories but I hadn't even seen pictures, so I didn't know what to think."

"So are we still friends?" he questions.

"Of course we are!" you smile.

"I have a question for you, then," he says, taking a step closer to you.

Your cheeks grow hot as the distance diminishes. You look up at him shyly. "And what's that?"

He presses his lips to yours gently. One hand finds its way to yours while the other cups your cheek. Your eyes widen before fluttering closed, returning the kiss.

He smiles as he pulls away. "Would you like to be more than friends?"


End file.
